All of the Stars Are Shining
by itsnotaboutlove
Summary: Set after the events in London, Benjamin Asher is determined to get through his last two years as President of the United States, alive What he didn't expect, was to fall in love. Rated M for language/violence/mentioning of sex/sexual language.
1. Chapter 1

Lauren sighed as she stapled the decorative boarder to the wall, the chair wobbling under her feet as she stood on her toes. Steading herself with a hand on the wall, she carefully hopped down and stepped back, admiring the work before her.

"Best as it'll ever be," she muttered to herself, moving forward to collect the mess that settled on the shelf.

With an hour to herself, as her students played tag in the school gym, Lauren took the time to decorate her classroom for Halloween. Taking down the vibrant "back to school" projects down, up went the orange wallpaper and lime green boarder. Soon, projects of "silly pumpkins" and "handprint spiders and ghosts" would go up, along with several other projects she had lined up for her kindergarteners. Slipped her feet back into her heels, Lauren threw out the trash and carried her stapler and the stack of projects back to her desk. With less than fifteen minutes until it was time to pick up her students, she had enough time to sit down and eat a quick snack. However, just as she reached for her lunchbox, the classroom phone started to ring.

Dashing quickly to the other side of the room, Lauren picked up. "Yes?"

"Lauren! You're never going to believe it!" Dolores, the office secretary, shouted into the phone. "The President of the United States is coming next week!"

"Why?" Lauren frowned, leaning against the wall. "What did Roger do now?"

Roger Conway, the principle of Hearst Elementary School, was currently under fire for abandoning the Common Core curriculum; something that no other principle was willing to do, despite the number of students opting out from taking the exams. "

From what I heard, and this was from a few girls up at the district office, he's supposedly reviewing the common core!" Dolores said. "Maybe he'll force the state to give it up? All I know is that Roger is beside himself! He's going to hold a staff meeting this afternoon about it! So prepare to stay until at least five today!"

Lauren suppressed a groan, "Sure," she sighed. "It's not like I have anything else to do with my life. Nor do I have anyone waiting at home for me, except my cat."

Dolores sighed, "You really need to get out more, honey," she said, sympathetically. "You're still young! You shouldn't spend your weekends, holed up in your house with an animal. A girl your age and with your looks? Men should be throwing themselves at you!"

"Yes, well," Lauren sighed. "Some of us don't have the money to blow on a bar crawl, when they have rent and student loans to pay. Nor, do I have the time to date. The men in this city are all the same; lawyers and wannabe politicians. And none of them are cute."

"You know," Dolores started. "The President is a _single_ man, Lauren. What if you two met and it was love at first sight? God, he's such a handsome young man. He's probably so _lonely_ , living in that big ol' house."

Lauren suppressed a groan, "Dolores, I'm sure he's just fine," she started. "For all you know, he could have a little black book in his bedside table, with all the top escorts in DC. Christ, his secret service buddies probably sneak them in, after hours so he can have a party or two."

Dolores scoffed, "You're ridiculous," she said. "Just you wait, Lauren. I'll bet my retirement, that by next fall, there will be an engagement announcement. You two would make a perfect couple; think of how cute your children would be; your red hair and his blue eyes. If you had a boy, it would be a _splitting_ image of his father."

"You're insane, Dolores," Lauren laughed, as she looked down at her watch. "Anyways, I need to go and pick up my babies," she sighed. "Thanks for the heads up though, D. Hopefully the president will skip my classroom all together. The last thing I want, is to sit through hours of hearing my Mother plan a wedding "to die for". My sister still cries to this day, over the wedding that she didn't want."

The older woman giggled, "Just be on your best behavior, Lauren," she warned. "We all know how you feel about politics and politicians."

Saying goodbye, Lauren hung up the phone and headed back to her desk to grab the classroom keys and her grade book. Only a quarter to two, there was roughly an hour and a half left before dismissal; enough time to pick up some food, head home to feed Onyx and change, before returning back for the staff meeting. Flicking the lights off, she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her, locking it. If she could get through tonight, she thought as she walked, then she would get through this surprise visit.

...

The day before the "big visit," Lauren stayed late after work, to have her room inspected. Roger stood in the middle of the classroom, and looked around, taking in all the decorations and work that Lauren and her assistant did earlier that day.

"Well," he sighed, turning to look at Lauren. "I guess it'll do."

"It'll do?" Lauren frowned. "Roger, not all of us can afford to shell out tons of money, just to decorate our classrooms for one day. Some of us have rent to pay and bills!"

He held up his hands, "I understand," he nodded. "While this visit is last minute, I don't expect everyone to go out and buy decorations for their classrooms. But we also need to make this place presentable, Lauren. This is the _President of the United States!"_

She suppressed an eye roll, "He's not royalty, you know," she shrugged. "He's probably only going to be here for ten, maybe fifteen minutes tops, Roger. Shake a few hands and take a few pictures, before waltzing off back to the White House…"

"Your hatred of politicians, never fails to surprise me," Roger said, sarcastically. "Please try to keep your opinions to yourself, if the President should come to your room for a visit."

"So, I can't tell him that I get underpaid and still own almost thirty-five thousand dollars in student loans?" she asked innocently. "I can't beg him to pass a bill that will excuse all debt for struggling post-college adults like me?"

When Roger didn't respond, giving her a blanket stare, Lauren sighed. "I guess that's a no, huh?" she asked. "This is why I don't vote..."

"Lauren," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just… mind your manners, please? Make sure your students are well behaved tomorrow and that your room isn't a wreck."

With that, he turned and walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind him. Lauren shook her head, heading back to her desk to collect her things. In less than sixteen hours, President Benjamin Asher and a team of secret service agents would be sweeping down the hallways of Hearst Elementary; scoping the walls that were covered in heavily detailed spreads of the hours Lauren and her fellow co-workers spent, cutting and gluing together. The artwork; from the littlest students to the eldest, ranging from cutesy pre-cut animals to more hands-on paintings and drawings of stick figures.

Now, at five-thirty, Lauren was ready to end her long day of teaching and cleaning, as she locked up her classroom. Turning her keys in at the office, she clocked out and headed out into the chilly evening air. It was a ten-minute drive from the school to her home, as she parked her car at the curb. Locking it, Lauren quickly dashed up the front steps, collecting the mail before unlocking the door. Stepping into the welcome warmth of her house, Lauren set everything down on the hall table, before kicking off her shoes.

"Meowwwww."

A small, tuxedo cat came barreling down the stairs, rubbing up against her now bare ankles.

"Onyx, you sneaky boy," she tsk'd, scooping him up into her arms. "Were you sleeping in Mommy's bed again? Did you leave all your little black hairs on my pillows?"

The cat butted his head against her hand, as she went upstairs to her bedroom. "Ah, what does it matter?" she asked him, as she stepped into her bedroom."You're my number one man, after all."

Setting him down on the bed, she went about undressing, setting her work clothes into the hamper. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt, Lauren sat down on the bed and pulled on a pair of wool socks.

"Ready to eat?" she asked, as Onyx rubbed against her arm. "Then we'll watch some television and call it an early night? I have a big day tomorrow, unfortunately."

The cat meowed again, as she scooped him up into her arms. "No, Onyx," she sighed, starting for the hallway. "Mommy is not thrilled about tomorrow. Maybe we can switch places and you can go to work for me? I'm sure the kids would just _love_ you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Mr. President? Mr. President? Ben!"

Ben jumped, turning his attention away from the window, turning to look at the man next to him. "Yes?" he asked, clearing his throat.

Mike sighed, "ETA is five minutes," he said, looking down at his watch. "If all goes according to plan, we should be in and out within thirty minutes."

"If all goes to plan," Ben snorted, shaking his head. "I highly doubt anything will happened at an elementary school, Mike. From what I've been told, the school has been searched top to bottom for any explosives, hidden war criminals, and everything in between."

"You can never be too sure these days," Mike shook his head.

It had been nearly four months since London, when half of the world's top leaders were ruthlessly murdered. After returning home, public engagements were limited. A second hit against the president, during his six year run in the office. Now, as the year came to an end, Ben could only pray for his last two years to be peaceful and violence free.

"Did Conner ever get back to you about the weekend?" Mike asked.

"He's coming Friday night," Ben confirmed. "Took a lot of convincing, since he wanted to spend the weekend with his girlfriend."

Mike snorted, "Ah, to be young and in love," he shook his head. "At least it's a light weekend. No international meetings or public engagements. For once, you have a weekend off, save for the one phone conference with the new president of France."

The car drifted into the turning lane, along with the rest of the presidential entourage. "If I can get him to watch one football game, I will be happy," Ben laughed.

"Yeah," Mike sighed, shaking his head. "I'll believe it when I see it."

As the row of black SUV's turned, heading into the parking lot of Hearst Elementary, the radio silence broke. "Just, make sure everyone is in their positions," Mike said, into the hidden microphone at the wrist of his jacket. "If anyone tries to or looks suspicious, you know what do to."

"Jesus," Ben snorted. "I highly doubt a kindergartener's gonna do that much harm. Maybe step on some toes or get a little snot on ya…"

The SUV came to an easy stop in front of the curb, as a group of people stood on the steps by the front doors. An array of staff members and some children, stood waiting;some holding signs welcoming the president, along with little American Flags.

"Look how dangerous," Ben whispered, teasing his friend. "Whatever should we do?"

"Glad you find it funny," Mike shook his head, despite smiling himself.

As the door to the car opened, Mike stepped out and moved to the side, allowing Ben to come out. On the steps, a few kids giggled and yelled out to him. "He's the king on the United America's!" he heard a little boy say. "My Mommy told me so!"

"Mr. President," Lucy, his personal aide, started. "This is Dr. Roger Conway. He's the principle of Hearst Elementary School."

Ben smiled as he shook the man's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Conway," he said, as the man gave him a nervous smile.

"It's.. It's great to have you, Mr. President," he said. "An honor!"

Mike held back a snort, smothering it with a cough. "We are ready to proceed when you are," he said, as Ben gave him a warning look.

Roger nodded, "Forgive me," he said, as they started up the concrete steps. "We never really get visits from such well-known people."

"Well, I am honored to be the first," Ben said, as they reached the small group of staff and students. "Hello guys!" A few of the teachers nearly swooned, while the kids either said "hello" back and smiled shyly up at him.

A little girl, dressed in a plaid dress, stepped forward. "These are you for, Mr. President," she said, her lisp every so evident.

Squatting down to be eye level with her, Ben took the flowers from her. "These are very pretty," he said, as the little girl giggled. "What's your name?"

"Hannah."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Hannah," Ben replied, as she giggled. "What grade are you in?"

She gripped her hands together at the front of her dress. "Kindy-garden," she said proudly. "Mommy says I have to go to kindy-garden if I want to be the next President of America."

"Well, your Mom is right," Ben nodded, as the girl continued to blush. "I think you'll make for a great president, Hannah."

"Mr. President," Lucy started, getting his attention. "We should head inside now. There's much more to see."

Nodding, Ben stood up and Lucy took the flowers from him. "Make sure these go into a vase," he said to the young woman. "Make a spot for them on my desk in the Oval Office." Waving to the rest of the children and staff, Ben was lead into the building by Mike and Roger, along with several agents.

...

Lauren giggled, as Ashley skipped in her tutu, screeching the words to the song blasting on the radio. Behind her, Noah waddled behind her in the oversized dinosaur costume, looking less than pleased about the whole ordeal. In a class of twenty students, only ten arrived that morning. Lauren only knew of three excused absences were due to vacations and the birth of a sibling. But for the other seven, it seemed that not many parents wanted their child to be in the same building, with a man that was a target for two assassination attempts.

"We're going on a bear hunt!" Ashley shouted, as ten overly costumed children, marched in a circle around the room. "WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT!"

"Aidan, no pushing!" Lauren warned. "If you can't keep your hands to yourself, you're going to sit on the carpet."

Next to her, Maria, shook her head. "I don't know where you find the patience sometimes," she said, as the group of children became louder and louder. "It's only a quarter to ten and I'm done."

Lauren snorted, "Years of student teaching," she shrugged. "Plus, it's better to teach them at this age. Once they get to middle school, that's it. Puberty turns them into monsters."

"Ms. Fiore, come be the bear!"

"Come be the bear?" Lauren asked, as the kids giggled. "Are you sure?"

They nodded, before shrieking as Lauren stepped away from her desk, growling and chasing them around the room. "God, you're too much," Maria sighed, as she went to get the art projects ready. "And use your walking feet, Ms. Fiore."

"Yeah!" Ashley shouted. "Use your walking feet, Ms. Feeee-orrayy!"

As Lauren "chased" her students, the noise level grew louder and louder. The shrieking and giggling from ten little boys and girls would make anyone in the hallway stop and look in through the door. However, as Lauren went past it, she was startled when it swung open. Letting out a shriek, she jumped to the side and nearly toppled over a desk, when two strong arms wrapped around her; holding her up as the desks skidded across the floor. A few kids yelped, running towards the carpet, while Maria rushed to them.

"Are you alright?"

Her heart racing, Lauren looked up and gasped. For standing before her, holding her up was the President of the United States.

...

"We teach pre-school to fifth grade, "Roger said, as he walked with Ben and his entourage, down the hallways of Hearst Elementary. "We hold before and after school care for our students."

Walking in front of them, backwards, were several cameramen; the flashing of lights and the quick movement of cameramen, were strange for the principle. Knowing that his face would be on the evening news and the papers later that night and tomorrow, were something he didn't anticipate when word first got to him about this visit.

"Had I chosen a different career path, I think I would've sent my son here," Ben laughed, as he took in the colorful art projects on the walls. "Though, he probably would've been a bit of a troublemaker."

"WE"RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT!"

Ben slowed his steps, frowning. "Bear hunt?" he asked, turning to look at Mike.

"Don't look at me," Mike said, shrugging. "That wasn't in the itinerary."

"Ah, that must be Ms. Fiore," Roger said, as he gave a nervous laugh. "She's quite… adventurous with her students."

Nodding, Ben looked at the man. "And what grade does Ms. Fiore teach?" he asked, curious to know more about the teacher that took her students on bear hunts.

"Kindergarten."

Suddenly, there was a chorus of shrieks and giggles coming from the next room down, along with growling. "Oh dear.." Roger muttered, shaking his head. "If we just continue on further down the hallway, we'll reach the gymnasium…."

But being curious, Ben walked ahead to investigate. Behind him, he could hear Roger moan in despair, while Mike called out to him. "Mr. President!" he started, walking after him. "Sir!"

Peeking into the classroom, Ben saw a group of children dressed in various costumes, running around the room. At the desk near the blackboard, stood a young woman setting up paper and paints.

"I'm gonna get you!" another woman called out, as two girls dressed as princesses rushed by the door. "I'm gonna get you!"

Opening the door, Ben was surprised and startled himself, when a young woman shrieked and threw herself away from him; the desks skidding across the floor and she scrambled to keep her footing. Reaching out on instinct, Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him. Ben didn't notice the woman at the desk rushing towards the kids, who had ran for cover on the carpet near the windows.

"Are you alright?" he asked, keeping his hold on the woman.

When the woman finally looked up at him, Ben saw two things: the shock on her face and green eyes.

"I'm so sorry," was the first thing that came out of her mouth, her hands gripping at the front of his suit jacket. "Oh my god, Roger's going to kill me."

"That's a shame," Ben said, as she managed to pull herself up straight. "I didn't have nearly as much fun as these kids were having, back when I was in elementary school."

He then released her, giving her the space to back up; the blush that spread across her face, as Ben silently checked her out gave him a thrill. _My god, I haven't had a woman under the age of sixty blush in my presence in years,_ he thought. At that moment, Roger stepped into the room, looking frazzled; behind him, were two men, dressed in black moving quickly to protect the president. From what, Lauren didn't know, since the small group of five year olds were currently huddled around Maria on the carpet.

"I do apologize," Roger sputtered, as Lauren brushed her hands down the front of her sweater.

"No, no," Ben shook his head. "If anyone should apologize it's me. Curiosity got the better of me…" Lauren managed a weak smile, to which Roger scowled at. "This must be the adventurous Ms. Fiore," Ben continued.

When Lauren didn't respond right away, Roger glared at her, silently urging her to speak. "Yes," she nodded. "Lauren Fiore."

Ben smiled and held out his hand, silently cheering when she took it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lauren," he said, shaking her hand.

"The President overheard your… bear hunt adventure," Roger continued. "Clearly it wasn't listed on the itinerary."

 _Clearly I told you to not to fuck this up_ , was more like it. If looks could kill, Lauren would be a dead woman, already six feet in the ground.

"It's a song," she shrugged. "About going on a bear hunt and traveling in the woods to take a picture of a bear."

One of the men behind Ben snorted, quickly smothering it with a cough. Lauren gave the man a look, ready to ask what was so funny, when Ben spoke again. "Ah, I see,' he nodded, looking over at the children. "Did you guys get your picture of the bear?"

Ashley, the bravest of the bunch, stepped forward; her hot pink tutu ruffled and the plastic tiara laid haphazardly in her nest of blonde curls. "No," she started, scowling at him. "You hadta scare Ms. Fiore and she went back into her cave!"

"Oh god," Roger muttered, as Lauren closed her eyes, grimacing.

"That's too bad," Ben said, as he looked back at Lauren. "It would've been a nice picture to have."

Blushing furiously, Lauren glanced up at him and couldn't help herself with her thoughts. _He really is handsome_ , she thought. _And he smells so good_ …

"Mr. President," the buffoon that snorted said. "We need to continue with our visit.

"Right," Ben nodded, despite not wanting to continue with seeing the rest of the school. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fiore."

Lauren nodded, "As you, Mr. President."

Waving goodbye to her students and Maria, Ben turned and started out of the classroom. He turned back once to look at her, giving her a smile and wave, before disappearing from her sight. Roger gripped the doorknob, shooting her a withering glare, before pulling the door shut behind him. With a sigh, Lauren smoothed back her hair, and turned to fix the desks that were pushed out of their neat line.

"Okay," she said, clearing her throat. "Let's put our costumes away and grab our smocks. Ms. Diaz, can you please help them, while I set the art tables up?"

"Sure thing," Maria said, smirking. "You do realize the president was checking you out, right?"

"Maria," Lauren sighed, closing her eyes; the beginnings of a headache creeping up on her. "Another time and another place, please."

Walking over to the radio, Lauren placed her hands down on the top of the shelf and closed her eyes. Giving herself a few extra seconds to calm herself, Lauren turned the radio off and started towards the art center.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday mornings were the best mornings for Lauren; the lack of an alarm clock and keeping the blinds and curtains down and closed, was just enough to make a working girl happy. But on this particular Saturday morning, Lauren was rudely awakened at a quarter to six. It all started with a pounding at the front door, followed by Onyx digging his claws into her leg, as he scrambled off the bed and under it.

Jumping out of bed quickly, Lauren rushed out of the room and barreled down the stairs before reaching the door. "Who the f-" she muttered, twisting the locks. "Do you have any idea what day it is?" she snapped, pulling the door open.

"It's Saturday, Ma'am," the man on her porch said.

Lauren blinked, "I...I know you," she said, as she held onto the doorknob. "You're the snorter that came to my classroom yesterday."

"Ms. Fiore, I have a letter for you," he said, ignoring her comment, as he took an envelope out of the pocket of his suit jacket.

She looked at him, "Are you going to open the door so I can give it to you?" Mike asked, waving the envelope.

"You came here at," she paused, looking at the time on the hall clock. "Ten to six, banging on my goddamn door, to deliver a letter?"

"Well, we normally don't send letters from the USPS or FedEx," Mike shrugged. "Especially one as important as this one. We tend to like our mail being delivered to our people of interest without interception."

Scoffing, Lauren unlocked the screen door and pushed it open, holding her hand out. Mike chuckled and handed it to her, shaking his head as she snatched it from him, pulling her hand back into the warmth of her house. "Is that all?" Lauren asked, clutching the envelope to her chest. "Or are you here to bug my house, god forbid I call a friend to talk about how rude the Secret Service is?"

"Have a nice day, Ma'am," Mike said, as he started down the front steps; a black SUV sat idle at the curb, where another agent stood next to, looking around at his surroundings.

Closing the door and locking it, Lauren headed back upstairs to her bedroom and climbed back under the blankets. Onyx peeked over the pillows, his ears flattened against his head. "Thanks for nearly taking chunks of my flesh," Lauren scowled, as he yawned widely at her. "Little shit."

Tearing open the envelope, she pulled out its contents; a ivory cardstock invitation, the neatly scripture printed, along with the official seal on top.

 _The President_

 _Requests the pleasure of your company for dinner held at The White House_

 _on Friday, October 13th, 2016 at seven o"clock_

At the bottom left corner of the invitation, Lauren saw that it was a "black tie" event. In the right hand corner, read the R.S.V.P, which made her snort. She was an average, everyday American, living in Washington D.C. She had no connection to anyone within the political circle, that would grant her an invitation for dinner at The White House. Picking up the envelope, Lauren went to slide the invitation back in, when she noticed another piece of paper within in. Taking it out, she saw that it was a name, along with a phone number written down.

"Should I call?" Lauren asked, looking over at the cat.

He blinked at her, before laying his head down on the pillow. Grabbing her phone, Lauren looked at the number for a few minutes, before dialing it. The phone rang twice, before a young woman answered it. "Foxtrot speaking," she greeted.

"Uh, hey Foxtrot," Lauren said, frowning as she spoke. "This is Lauren Fiore calling. I just had some guy in a suit all but knock my front door down this morning. Gave me an invitation about a dinner?"

In the background, Lauren could heard the clicking of computer keys, as the woman worked away. "Please hold," she said, before the line went silent.

"What the hell?" Lauren said out loud, as she waited.

Laying down, Lauren pulled the blankets up to her waist, and stared up at the ceiling; the phone pressed against her ear, as the silence filled it. Tempted to just hang up and ignore the events of that morning, Lauren found herself curious as to what the invitation and "secret" phone number meant.

"Well, I didn't expect you to call back this quickly," a voice suddenly said, startling her. "My guys aren't even back yet."

Lauren yelped, sitting up quickly; the phone slipping from her ear as she did so. Fumbling for it, Lauren all but slammed it back against her ear.

"Do you realize that normal people _sleep_ at this hour?" Lauren asked, placing her hand against her chest. "And you have the _rudest_ messenger by the way. My own mailman is nicer than him. I even _make_ him cookies for Christmas."

"You bake Christmas cookies for your mailman?" Ben asked, the amusement evident in his voice. "I can't even get my kitchen staff to make cookies that aren't oatmeal raisin."

She scoffed, "You're the _President of the United States,"_ she reminded him. "Can't you just... order them to make what you want?"

He laughed, "I supposed I could," he agreed. "I'm glad you called. I wasn't sure if you would."

"How did you find me?" Lauren asked. "Better yet, why did I get invited to a dinner that I really have no reason to be going to?"

"Well, Miss. Fiore," Ben started. "As President, I can pretty much find anyone that isn't hiding from the U.S government."

Lauren sighed, "Right, of course," she muttered, as he laughed. "How silly of me to forget."

"And I _personally_ invited you to dinner on October the 13th, because I wanted to," he continued. "I know it's Friday the 13th, but I'm hoping that it's won't be filled with bad luck."

"I.. I don't have anything to wear for a black tie dinner," she admitted, picking up the invitation again. "I mean, the last fancy thing I ever went to was for meet the teacher night last month. But I don't think black pants and a sweater are appropriate evening wear."

She could picture him sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, looking out at the window, as she babbled on in his ear. "What, no Cinderella dress?" he asked, teasing her.

"Well, the mice were all scared off by the cat," she shrugged, lightly slapping her hand against her forehead. So no, no Cinderella dress."

"Hmmm," he hummed, sounding thoughtful. "I'll send someone over this afternoon."

Lauren paused, "Wait, what?" she asked.

"I'll send someone over this afternoon," he repeated. "Now you don't have a reason to not attend."

 _Shit!_

"How am I supposed to arrive at this thing anyway?" she asked. "You're telling me that if I pull up in my old Honda, dressed in some expensive gown, I'll get in?"

Ben laughed again, "Someone will come to pick you up," he promised. "Do you always worry this much?"

"Do you?" she shot back. "You don't even know me! Why, out of all the people in the world, did you personally invite me to have dinner at your house?"

"Because," he started, pausing for a moment. "I find you interesting, Miss. Fiore. And I want to know more about you."

That alone was enough for Lauren to say yes to attending, which is what she did a few seconds later. "I'll see you next Friday," Ben said, sounding way too chipper for six-thirty in the morning.

"Ben?"

"Yeah?"

Lauren looked at the invitation in her hand with a smile, "Don't ever send your bodyguards to my house, this early on a Saturday, again," she said.

He apologized, "I promise," he said. "Goodbye, Lauren."

"Bye," she said, almost shyly, as she hung up. Looking down at the phone in her hand, Lauren was startled when Onyx rushed down from the pillows and onto her lap, rolling around around and rubbing his face against the corner of the invitation.

"Onyx, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," she said, as he purred.

...

"You stalked out and invited the school teacher to Friday's dinner?" Mike asked, as he stood before Ben's dining room table. " _Seriously?"_

Ben shrugged, "How else was I supposed to invite her?" he asked, looking up from the files before him. "No, go on Mike. I'm curious to hear your answer to this one."

Mike rolled his eyes, "Why not just ask her on a date if you want to date?" he shrugged. "You know.. "Hey, I like you and I wanted to take you out to dinner," kinda thing."

"Sure, I'll just stroll right on up to her somewhere in the city and ask her out," Ben nodded. "In front of all to see, so that way we're both plastered on the evening news. I'm the President, Mike. Going about asking women on dates isn't easy in my position."

Sitting down across from him, Mike pushed the decorative center piece to the side, and sighed. "Why didn't you say anything about you wanting to date again?" he asked, curious. "And this was sneaky, Sir. Going about searching for a civilian and sending an invitation to her, without doing a BC on her."

He snorted, "I'm sure you already did one," he said, reading the paper before him.

"Yeah, well," Mike looked away. "Someone had to."

"I highly doubt that she's dangerous, Mike," Ben chuckled. "She teaches kindergarten."

Mike shrugged, "Could be a spy for Russia," he counted off. "Or a white supremacist..."

Closing the file, Ben dropped it onto the table with a sigh, pulling his reading glasses off. "Okay, enough," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "God, I can't even ask someone to a dinner without getting shit for it."

"How are you even going to pass her off?" Mike frowned. "This was supposed a small dinner with the Prime Minister of Canada and his family. Do we trust them enough not to leak your date to the press?"

Ben shrugged, "And, if I may be honest, I don't think a dinner date with the Prime Minister of Canada is really gonna get you anywhere," Mike continued.

"Well, she didn't cancel," Ben said, as he stood up from the table. "Marcia came back from her place the other day."

"Marcia?" Mike frowned. "What was Marcia doing at her place?"

Picking up the file and empty glass, Ben smirked. "Dropping off her ball gown," he said, before heading out of the dining room.

...

Lauren followed the petite blonde down the hallway, the skirt of her gown swishing along the carpet. True to his word, a woman showed up later that Saturday, with enough designer gowns to make a princess cry. After an hour, trying on gowns, Lauren settled on a full length florentine lace gown in a deep blue.

" _Midnight"_ Marcia corrected her, when she called in "Navy" instead.

The tulle straps were pulled off the shoulder, which Lauren thought to be too flashy for a White House dinner. But none the less, she was in love with the gown, that hung on her closet door for the remainder of the week. No one at work knew about the dinner, as she raced out the building after her students left for the weekend. Showering quickly, Lauren took her time doing her hair and makeup, while keeping an eye on the time. When the limo pulled up outside at a quarter to seven, she was dressed and ready to go. Her long red locks were pulled back into a knot at the base of her neck, while her makeup was simple and fresh.

"The President hasn't arrived yet," the girl, Lucy, said.

"Oh," Lauren nodded, as Lucy opened the door. "That's alright..."

Following the woman into the room, Lauren was surprised to see a long oak table with two place settings. "You can wait here, Miss. Fiore," Lucy said. "The President will be here shortly."

As quickly as she came to collect her from the car, she was gone, leaving Lauren alone in a dining room. Between the expensive gown, made by a designer she couldn't pronounce, and the heels that pinched her toes, Lauren was overwhelmed. Setting the small clutch onto the table, Lauren went over to a painting that hung on the wall, wrapping her arms around her torso. She reached out to wipe a small film of dust off the frame, surprised that dust was even an issue in such a place like this, when she found herself no longer alone in the room.

"I wouldn't do that," a voice at the door said, startling her.

Ben watched as she jumped, letting out a startled yelp, as she steadied herself on the cabinet that sat against the wall. "God," she gasped, shaking her head. "I think you're trying to give me a heart attack."

"Sorry," Ben said, as he walked over to her. "It's just.. the last time I touched that painting, I somehow broke the wire that's keeping it attached to the nail in the wall."

"It wouldn't be the first time I broke a priceless artifact," Lauren admitted. "I've been known to break a few family heirlooms in my lifetime."

"I guess I'll have to keep my eye on you. Wouldn't want to break a vase that dates back to Kennedy's reign here," Ben teased, as she laughed. "I'm sorry for being a bit late. I had to take a phone call..."

Lauren waved her hand, "It's fine," she said. "You don't have to explain."

Ben then took in her appearance, "You look beautiful," he said softly, making her blush. "Midnight blue."

"Thank you," Lauren said, running her hand against the lace of her skirt. "You look nice yourself."

He nodded to the table, to which Lauren started for, moving out of the way when Ben stepped forward to pull the chair out for her. Giving him a small smile, Lauren maneuvered herself into the seat, smiling to herself when he pushed her chair in. "There were supposed to be two more guests," Ben said, as he sat down in the chair adjacent to hers. "But, they cancelled so it's just you and me."

"Was... was this going to be a double date?" Lauren asked.

"Well," Ben shrugged, nodding sheepishly. "The new Prime Minister of Canada and his wife were supposed to dine with us tonight. But apparently, they had a better offer and bailed."

At that moment, in came what looked like kitchen staff, bringing in food and wine for them. "Well, I guess that explains the ball gown..." she said.

Ben groaned, "I should've called," he shook his head. "You're probably wearing shoes that are uncomfortable..."

"I can just.. take them off," Lauren shrugged, as poured wine into her glass. "It's really not a big deal, Be-Mr. Pre-Sir."

"Ben," he said, chuckling at her fumble. "And next time, I'll call."

She nodded, slipping her feet out of her shoes. "Next time, you'll call," she confirmed, trying her best to ignore the thrill that went through her. "This looks good. What is it?"

"Well, I didn't know what you'd like," Ben started, as he removed a cover from a tray. "So I told the chef to make everything on the menu."

"You did?" Lauren asked, looking at him in shock. "That's probably a lot of food!"

Ben shrugged, "Ah, whatever we don't eat the staff will," he said.

She eyed the food before her, biting her lip. "Is that... are those chicken tenders?" she asked, pointing to another tray. When he nodded, Lauren couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" he asked, as she shook her head.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "I just... I can't believe I'm about to eat chicken tenders, while wearing a ball gown. With you. "

He moved the tray closer to her, moving wine glasses out of the way. "Well," he chuckled, as she used her fork to pick up a tender. "There's a first for everything."


	4. Chapter 4

The next several weeks went by in the blur, as Lauren divided her time between work and late night phone calls. After her "dinner date" at the White House, she spent the weekend in a daze, wondering when she would see Ben again. On Sunday, as she got ready for bed, an unknown number called her. Debating on answering or letting the phone ring, Lauren quickly answered it before it went to voicemail.

 _"You wouldn't believe how hard it was, just to get an Iphone,"_ Ben greeted her. " _I had to send Lucy out to get the damn thing for me and I don't even know how to work it!"_

They talked that night until the early morning hours, which would've been frowned upon, if the general public found out. The President of the United States, staying up all night to talk to a woman. One who wasn't his wife or girlfriend.

" _If you ever want to talk, I'll have this phone on me,"_ Ben said, after they both realized it was a quarter to four in the morning. " _If I don't call or send a message back right away, it's because I'm either in a meeting with the Prime Minister of Grenada. Or hiding from Banning, since he has no idea I even have this thing."_

Two weeks before Thanksgiving however, Lauren found herself back at the White House. This time, sitting in the Oval Office, after being escorted from her home by a group of secret service agents.

"What's going on?" Lauren asked, as she was brought into the room, surprising Ben in the process. "Do they think I'm some kind of like... domestic terrorist? Because, I'm not! Just because I watch CSI on my days off, doesn't mean I'm plotting or something!"

"I have no idea," Ben said, standing before her. "I was going to call you later to see if you were busy tonight..."

The door to the office opened and in walked Mike, carrying a manilla folder in his hands. "Ah! Good," he said, nodding to the two of them. "Just in time!"

"What's the meaning of this, Banning?" Ben asked, frowning at the head of his security detail.

"It's about how completely reckless you've been acting, since we visited that school," Mike said, as Lauren sat down on one of the sofas. "And I found out about the Iphone, Sir. Which was quite surprising, since you can barely text on blackberry..."

Ben scoffed, "You pulled a civilian out of their home, because I've been talking to them on a private phone?" he asked. "Really? How is that being reckless?"

Mike sat down on the sofa across from Lauren, opening the folder that he held. "Because if anyone were to find out about your secret, late night phone calls, the press would have a field day," he started. "Lauren Rosalie Fiore, born December 15th, 1983, to Joseph Fiore and Maureen Fiore. Lived in Northport, New York and graduated in 2001 from Northport High School, before enrolling at NYU for a BA in childhood education..."

"Wow, and this information about my life is an interest to you, because?" Lauren started, glaring at him. "You could've looked me up on Facebook and found that all out, you know. It would've saved your buddies the gas and their time, which was wasted to come to my house to get me and bring me here. I mean, I'm not even dressed to be at the White House! I don't even have a bra on for christsakes!"

"Lovely," Mike muttered, before turning his attention back to the file before him. "Attended Cortland University for the graduate program," he continued. "You've been working at Hearst Elementary for almost three years..."

"Mike," Ben stopped him, holding his hand up. "What is this all about? Really?"

Mike looked up at him, "I figured you'd want to know more about your girlfriend," he shrugged.

"You found me out!" Lauren said, throwing her hands up in the air, before turning to look at Ben. "Ben, you're actually dating a real life alien," she said solemnly. "I'm from the former planet of Pluto."

Mike ignored her comment and continued, "I'm just saving you the time, getting all the nitty gritty details out," he shrugged. "This is a huge security breach, if you two were to go public. You couldn't possibly begin to understand how the media would pounce on this. The president's secret, late night phone calls with a mystery woman? Private text messages, emails, photos being hacked and leaked to the public?"

Ben sighed, "And after two," Mike turned his attention to Ben. " _Two_ assassination attempts, I figured you'd be smart about this and follow proper protocol!"

Lauren rolled her eyes, "I'm not a goddamn terrorist!" she snapped. "I can't even kill a spider,so what makes you think I could kill a person?"

"This was uncalled for," Ben shook his head. "While I do understand your concerns, this wasn't right. And I knew just about all of that, by the way. That's what people do on dinner dates, Mike. I may've been out of the dating scene for a long time, but I'm not a moron."

"Then you wouldn't be surprised to learn that she hates politicians?" Mike asked, feigning innocence. "So, she probably hates you."

Ben shrugged, "I hate a lot of them too, Mike," he shot back. "What's your point."

"Are you pissed because I didn't vote when he first ran for president?" Lauren asked. "Because I'm sure it says there in that file you have on me, that I didn't vote. That instead, I sat in a hospital on election day when my niece went for her first of many heart surgeries three weeks after she was born."

This silenced Mike, while surprising Ben. "Or that I hate most politicians because they either lie or get us into wars, that we really shouldn't be getting into," Lauren continued. "Or that men that are probably older that fossils, like to make decisions on what women do with their bodies, by using WebMD and the fucking Bible as a credible source. So yeah, Mike, I don't like most politicians and I choose my family over voting. So go on. Arrest me for being a shitty excuse for an American."

Lauren stood up, "I stopped caring about politics after my brother and father died, after a plane slammed into their office, fifteen years go," she said. "I stopped caring about politics, after I watched them die from my dorm room and I stopped caring when they sent us to war two years later. War doesn't bring back the dead, Mike. It only brings more death and destruction."

"Lauren.." Ben started, as she headed for the door.

She paused, her hand on the door knob. "And for the record," she said, turning to look back on them. "I voted for Ben when he for his second term, because I like him."

Mike looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "Bet your little investigation didn't bring that up, huh?" Lauren asked, before pulling the door open.

"Nice," Ben snapped, as the door slammed behind her. "Thanks, Mike."

"Ben.." Mike started, as he went after her. "Dammit!"

...

Lauren quickly moved down the hallway, dodging staff members, as they moved from office to office. "Sorry," she muttered, nearly colliding with a frazzled secretary.

"Lauren!"

She shook her head, trying to move as fast as she could, which was difficult with slippers on her feet. A hand on her arm stopped her, as Ben pulled her down another hallway, leading her into an empty staff room.

"I want to go home," was the first thing she said, as he closed the door behind them. "You should really report that douchebag!" was the next thing out of her mouth. "I don't understand what the whole point of that was!"

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I understand his concerns, but he went about this the wrong way."

Lauren wrapped her arms around her torso, "I don't hate you," she said quietly, looking down at the floor. "I just don't like politics, which is why this is complicated."

He nodded, "How complicated are we talking about?" he asked, as she sighed.

"I hate politics and most of the politicians in this country," she started, running her hands across her face. "But there's this guy and I really like him, but he's a politician and a very important one at that."

"It's just a job," he shrugged. "A title. I was a lawyer before this, Lauren. Then, I found myself in Congress, before getting the great idea to run for President. It's a job, but I'm more than just a politician. And I'm not going to be a politician forever, you know."

She managed a laugh, "Why didn't you say anything about your dad and brother?" he asked. "It doesn't change the way I see you, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's just.. raw," she shrugged. "You don't get over it, you know? It's been fifteen years, but I relive it almost everyday. I close my eyes and I'm that 17 year old, college freshman, standing in her dorm room and watching her father and brother die before her eyes."

He pictured Margaret, strapped into the backseat of the limo; her face covered in blood and her eyes filled with fear, as the limo slipped over the edge and fell into the icy depths blow. "Yeah," he said gruffly, nodding. "I know what you mean."

Seeing that her trauma with death brought up a bad memory, Lauren shook her head. "I should go," she said quietly.

"I want to see you again," he said quickly , surprising her. "Don't let Mike's moment of idiocy force you to make a decision."

"Are you asking me to date you?" Lauren asked, feeling the rising joy as Ben blushed. She gasped, "You _are!"_

Ben huffed, "Would you rather I say it instead of implying?" he asked. "I'm a widow, Lauren. I haven't properly dated in almost twenty years..."

She giggled. "Okay," she nodded, surprising not only herself, but him as well. "But.. how is this going to work? We can't just... go to the movies or out to dinner like other people do. And like Mike said: the media. Think of how crazy the world would get, if you got photographed doing the walk of shame from my house."

"Why would I be the one doing the walk of shame?" he asked, frowning.

"Only to protect your image, Mr. President," she teased. "So, I guess if we're doing this... dating thing, we'll have to be quiet about it for a while, huh?"

He nodded, "Trust me," he said. "If I wasn't the President, I would be calling everyone right now."

Lauren snorted, "Lucky you," she sighed. "I wouldn't tell a soul. If my mother found out, she would probably have wedding invitations made up before I could even introduce you to her..."

'Mothers," he teased, making her laugh. "I'll have someone drive you home, that way you can go back to watching CSI. Though, I pictured you more of a Grey's Anatomy kinda girl."

"I watch that too," she admitted, blushing. "Will you call me later? Or do you want me to call?"

Ben nodded "I'll call," he promised. "And, don't worry about Mike too much, okay? He's an idiot, but he does mean well. Even though he has a shitty way of showing it sometimes."

Lauren sighed, "I'll try my best to be nice, but I can't promise anything," she warned. "And if he wanted the full account of my life, all he had to do was ask you if he cares so much about who you're dating."

"I'll make sure to remind him of his manners," he chuckled, moving forward to kiss her forehead. "Come on. Let's get you home, before something else happens to scare you off."

...

Later that day, after a hot shower and spending most of her Saturday afternoon in front of the television, Lauren waited for the phone to ring. While she waited, she managed to get the laundry done and put away, cleaned out Onyx's litter box and sorted through the pile of paperwork that sat in her work bag for weeks. At a quarter to six, her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she answered, almost breathlessly.

"Hey," Ben greeted her. "Were you running?"

Lauren sat down on the arm of the sofa, "Me? Run?" she scoffed. "Why would I do that to myself?"

He laughed, "Oh god, I guess that rules you out as my running partner," he said, making her smile. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"Well, I was debating between going to bed early or watching on of the many movies that Netflix just released today," she sighed. "Such a tough choice, you know?"

"Well, how about we watch a movie?" he asked. "Unless you rather go to bed early, which is fine. I could just take this pizza and head home."

She perked up, "Wh.. wait," she started, as he chuckled. "Pizza? A-are you outside?"

Getting up, Lauren rushed to the window and peeked out through the blinds, shocked to find a black SUV parked outside her house. "Holy fuck," she muttered, moving away from the window.

"Are you gonna let me in or not?" he asked. "It's freezing out here."

Rushing to the front door, Lauren quickly unlocked it and pulled it open, finding Ben standing on her front porch; dressed down in track pants and sneakers, he held a pizza box in his hands and wore a triumphant smile on his face.

"You're crazy," Lauren said, pushing the screen door open. "H-how did you get a pizza?"

"Well, you typically call ahead and order them," he said, as stepped into her house. "I got half cheese, half everything. Wasn't sure what you liked."

Locking the door behind her, Lauren hung up her phone and placed it on the hall table. "It's pizza. I'd eat just about anything on a pizza."

He nodded, "Good to know," he said. "Kitchen's that way?"

"Yeah," Lauren nodded, as he started through her house. "Just ignore the mess on the kitchen table. It's all work related."

On the counter, Onyx sat patiently, eyeing Ben. "Who's this?" Ben asked, setting the box down on the stove.

"Onyx," Lauren said, grabbing plates out of the cabinet. She watched as he removed his jacket and shoes, setting them by the kitchen table, before heading over to the counter. "If you don't like cats, I can bring him upstairs to my room."

Ben reached out and carefully rubbed the cat on the head, chuckling as Onyx began to purr. "I think he's good," Ben said, looking at her with a shrug. "Hi Onyx, I'm Ben."

Meowing, Onyx stood and began to walk back and forth, rubbing against his palm. "Huh," Lauren shook her head. "That's amazing, considering he hates just about everyone else besides me."

Setting a slice on each plate, Lauren grabbed two bottles of beer out of the fridge and led him to the living room. "What are we watching?" Ben asked, sitting down on the couch next to her; Onyx took that moment, to jump onto the coffee table; laying across the old magazines, licking at his paws.

"Not sure," Lauren shrugged, picking up the remote. "What are you in the mood for? Romantic comedy? Documentary? Horror?"

"As long as it doesn't involve a fictional version of myself being shot at, I'm good" he joked, as the home screen of Netflix popped up. "But I do see that you're a fan of foreign films."

Lauren shrugged and handed him the remote, "You pick something," she said, as he took it from her. "I'm pretty open to anything."

"Anything?"

"Well, I'm dating you, so that should answer your question," she teased, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Pick before I make you watch something horribly sappy. Like Steel Magnolias."


	5. Chapter 5

Lauren waited patiently with Lucy on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, her duffle bag at her feet. It was the day before Thanksgiving and the schoolteacher found herself getting ready to board Air Force One, for a three hour flight to Montana. With a half-day at work, Lauren saw her kindergartners off with cutesy decorations, she spend the remainder of the day doing last minute errands. Checking her bag four times, Lauren packed Onyx up and dropped him off at Lucy's apartment, before the aide drove her to the air base to meet up with Ben and the few agents and crew members that would escort them to Montana.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get you something?" Lucy asked, looking at the young woman. "You look a bit... stressed out."

"No, no," Lauren shook her head. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. Once we take off, I'll just settle in with a book and call it a day."

At that moment, Ben walked over to them. "You ready to go?" he asked, as she nodded. "Well, let's get you on board! It's a three hour flight and it's getting late."

Taking her bag, Ben started for the plane, while Lauren said goodbye to Lucy. "Try to keep him from getting into trouble," she said, half-teasing, half-begging. "He'll want to do everything while he's at his sister's ranch, before coming home. Last thing we need, is for him to fall off a goddamn horse."

"I make no promises,' Lauren said. "But I'll do my best. It's bad enough that his friend dislikes me and this whole idea of me going to Montana with him."

Lucy waved his hand, "He won't be a bother to you guys this weekend," she said. "He's home with his wife and daughter, since it's their first Thanksgiving as a family. And Conner already flew out this morning, so you'll meet him tomorrow!"

The mention of Ben's son, made Lauren's stomach drop. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet the now sixteen year old, who was Ben's pride and joy, as well has the constant reminder of his late wife. It was the fact that Conner had no idea that his father was bringing a woman home, to meet the family. Or that he was dating again, period.

" _He'll probably be moody, since his girlfriend had to stay home for the holiday,"_ Ben told her the night before. " _But then again, what sixteen year old boy isn't moody? Being a teenager is the best and worst time of your life."_

"Go on," Lauren said, nodding her head towards the plane. "Just think of the picture perfect scenery of the wilderness and that you're being wooed by a handsome man. You'll forget that you're on a plane."

Nodding, Lauren wished her a Happy Thanksgiving and ran across the tarmac towards the stairs that led up to the plane. "Ready?" Ben asked, as she stopped before him. "Are you alright? You look a little nervous."

She smiled and nodded, "Never better," she said, as the last of the crew boarded; the the trucks driving off after delivering fuel and cargo. "Come on, it's freezing out here. And I was promised a warm bed and a home-cooked meal."

...

"I will be back in my office by Monday afternoon," Ben said, as he rested the receiver between his ear and shoulder. "Jerry, it's Thanksgiving. I'm not taking any meetings, unless they're about the end of all humanity. This is a high-school level fight, between the President of France and the President of Italy. Over who's hosting a goddamn fashion show. When did fashion shows become part of my job qualifications."

A half an hour into the flight, once Air Force One passed through some rocky turbulence, Ben took Lauren on a tour of the aircraft. Trying her best not to drag herself, due to the tension and anxiety of being on the plane and the turbulence they went through, Ben took her by the hand and led her down the hallways and into the various rooms. They had just finished looking at the conference room, when Ben was summoned with a phone call from one of his aides. Rather than sending her back to her seat, Ben led her into his office.

"Put the TV on," he said, nodding to the screen that was built into the wall. "Just keep the volume low. Jerry hates it when I have the TV on during our phone calls, especially when I'm watching crap cable."

Thirty minutes later, Ben was still on the phone and Lauren was laying on the couch quietly, the television on mute as he talked. "Look, can you just call Moreau's aide back and tell them that I'll deal with it on Monday?," he finally asked. "There's not much for me to do, when I'm 35,000 feet in the air. And I'm not having a conference call about it tomorrow, with my family in the other room eating dinner. Maybe suggest that they can call Heidi Klum or whoever does the fashion reality show, to smooth things over. This isn't a presidential matter."

"And what if they decide to bomb each other or us?" Jerry shouted into the other end of the phone.

"Then I'll worry about who gets to host the show," Ben said sarcastically. "Then you call me, Jerry. If it comes down to a war, which I highly doubt it will, then we'll deal with it. Until then, do not call me unless we're looking at a domestic or international crisis. Go home to Patty and the kids and enjoy your holiday."

With that, Ben hung up and sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry that took longer than planned," he said, standing up from his seat. "I never truly get a vacation so.."

He stopped, when he found Lauren asleep, sprawled out across the leather seats that made up for a couch. Not wanting to wake her, Ben knew that she couldn't stay there, especially with people coming and going. Scooping her up, Ben carried her out into the hallway.

"Mr. President," a flight attendant greeted, stopping in the hallway before them.

"Paul," Ben greeted.

The young man looked at Lauren, who was curled up in his arms. "I guess the excitement from take off, finally wore off?" he asked, as Ben carefully lowered Lauren onto the couch in the hallway.

"That and the long phone call, " he sighed. "Could you bring me a blanket? I think I'll sit out here until it's time to land."

Nodding, the young man went off to find a blanket, while Ben lifted Lauren's head up, to sit down. "Hmmm," Lauren groaned, shifting at the sudden movement.

"Shh," Ben whispered, as Paul returned with the blanket. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," Paul said, as Ben shook the heavy material over Lauren. "Do you need anything, Sir? I could send Maxwell up with something to eat or with a book."

Ben shook his head, "I think I'll just relax here for a while," he said. "If I'm not called away again for the remainder of the flight, just let me know when we're thirty minutes out."

Once Paul left, draped his arm over Lauren's waist and settled back against the couch cushions; his head raised to face the ceiling of the aircraft. The lingering stress of Jerry's phone call, slowly bled away as he relaxed for the first time since leaving the White House and boarding the plane. The last twenty-four hours had been hectic enough, with the last minute meetings and conference calls, to keeping Lauren's surprise visit a surprise. Only his sister knew that Lauren was coming and even then, Ben announced that it was a "guest" and not "the woman I'm dating." He also begged for her keep the news to herself, so that he could introduce her to Conner.

The death of Margaret was hard enough on both of them, since it was so unexpected and sudden, as well as violent. When Ben somewhat came to terms that his wife was dead, the idea of dating was the last thing on his mind. There wasn't any thought of him going from husband to widower, especially when he had a country to run and two assassination attempts on his life to deal with. But in the last year or so, before London, he found himself lonely. Seeing members of his staff getting married and having their own children, made him miss the companionship he once had with Margaret. And with Conner off at school, coming home for a few weekends here and there and the holidays, he was essentially alone when returning to his living quarters.

While this thing he had with Lauren was new, as well as unexpected, Ben felt hope for the first time in years. While he was in no real need to rush into a second marriage, he woke up every morning like a giddy school girl. The texts and phone calls throughout the day, along with the incognito "movie and a dinner" date at Lauren's place, made him feel young again. Lauren was far different from Margaret and everyone knew it. While Margaret was born into a wealthy family and knew the expectations of the high society of politics, Lauren was a rebel. Her style alone, was a far cry from Margaret's J-Crew during the day and couture at night wardrobe. In all the years he was married to her, Margaret considered it a scandal to sit in ratty sweatpants and in front of the television all day long. Even when Conner was born and during those first few weeks, as she recovered, Margaret was fully dressed from head to toe and had her hair styled just right with a hint of makeup on. It was an image that she couldn't shake, even when her husband told her to " _just relax, Maggie."._

Now, five years later, it would be Conner that Ben had to answer to. They never talked about the possibility of his father dating again, or the idea of one day having a step-mother to answer to. And while Ben was the first person Conner came to, when he developed a crush on his now-girlfriend, Ben felt bad that he wasn't being as truthful and open as his teenaged son was. He could only hope, that by the end of their long weekend away, that it would be smooth sailing for everyone aboard.

...

By the time they landed, Lauren was both exhausted and starving; having slept through the remainder of the flight, she only had fifteen minutes to spare, before buckling up in her seat and waiting for the plane to land.

"I'm sure my sister has food cooked and waiting," Ben promised, as he helped her into the backseat of a black SUV. "Karen's always cooking and baking, especially around the holidays."

She mumbled incoherently, wrapping her coat tightly around herself, burrowing into the backseat of the car. As the row of SUV's started off, leaving the air base, Lauren felt herself falling back asleep.

"Sleep," Ben said, as she struggled to stay awake; he had moved across the back seats, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "It's a half hour from here to the house, and you're not missing much. There's only open land and mountains."

In and out of consciousness, Lauren heard Ben on the phone with someone, confirming that they were on their way to the house. "Just heat up something for us, Karen," he said. "But don't go too crazy, alright? It's getting late and I know how your kids are, when they can smell food wafting up through the floorboards."

After that, Lauren was out, until the car stopped and Ben was shaking her awake. "We're here," he announced, as she groaned. "Come on, sleepyhead. Food and then off to bed with ya."

"It's only ten-thirty," Lauren mumbled, as they walked up the front steps to the house. "Why am I tired?"

"Well, you've been up since five in the morning," Ben pointed out, steadying her as they stood before the door. "You worked with small children, who were hopped up on candy. And I'm sure you didn't nap before Lucy brought you to the airport, which made you pass out on the plane. And we all know, sleeping on planes isn't comfortable at all."

Lauren grumbled, "Seasoned travelers are annoying," she shook her head, as Ben knocked lightly on the front door. "I'm hungry."

The sound of footsteps could be heard, as the hallway light went on inside the house. "Food is coming," Ben promised, as she yawned widely. "Just be patient."

At that moment, the front door swung open and before them stood a tall, blonde woman. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," she teased, as Ben chuckled. "You're lucky the kids are all asleep right now. Took forever to wind them down, since Robert decided to give them candy, ontop of the ice cream they had."

"Well, Robert's an ass," Ben snorted, as he and Lauren stepped into the house. "Why you married him, I'll never know."

"And you're such a ray of sunshine," Karen snorted, shaking her head. "So, I'm assuming this is our guest of honor?"

Lauren nodded slowly, "This is Lauren," Ben announced, as he removed his coat and scarf. "Lauren, this is my baby sister Karen."

Shaking hands, Karen smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "I do wish my brother told me about you, that way I'd have all your favorites cooked up..."

"Oh, that's alright," Lauren shrugged. "I'll eat just about anything. Except figs. I'm allergic to them."

"Good thing I don't use figs for anything," Karen nodded, as Ben took Lauren's coat. "Ben, lock up for me. You must be starving, Lauren. I warmed up some ziti and homemade italian bread..."

Following the woman down the hall, Lauren turned to look back at Ben, who simply smiled and nodded at her. "Starving," Lauren said, as she disappeared into the dining room.

Five minutes later, Lauren was tucked in at the table, eating quietly, while Ben and Karen sat at the table with her. "Conner's probably asleep already," Karen said, stretching her arms up and over her head. "He was moody all goddamn day, so I told him he could stay up in his room if he wanted."

"Oh god," Ben shook his head. "I guess there's trouble in paradise already. God help me."

"Payback for al the years you drove mom and dad crazy," Karen said, shaking her finger at him. "All the girls that you "dated" and later broke their hearts..."

Lauren looked up from her plate of pasta, her mouth full of noodles and bread. "Don't worry, he's calmed down a bit," Karen giggled. "If anything, he's become a real sappy romantic."

Ben rolled his eyes, "So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow? Is David coming, because last I heard, he wasn't."

"Juliet's coming, but as for David and Alice? I doubt it," Karen said, shaking her head. "David's our older brother, who's a Republican and doesn't want to associate with us anymore. Ever since the two attempts on our dear Ben's life, he refuses to be within a five mile radius of him."

"Sounds like my brother," Lauren said, after washing the mouthful of food down with water. "Alex. He's the oldest of the four of us and the biggest asshole."

Karen whistled, "David and Alex would get along great," she sighed. "At least David would finally have a friend, other than Alice. At Juliet's normal, considering the fact that she's the offspring of two morons."

Finished with her plate, Karen quickly got up and took it from her, quieting her protests of wanting to help. "You're a guest," she said, carrying the plate and glass to the sink. "Now, since we're a full house this year, I had to bunk you two together in the master suite upstairs on the eastern wing of the house. That's not going to be problem for you both, is it?"

"A bed's a bed," Lauren shrugged. "I'm so tired at this point, that I'll sleep on the floor in the living room."

"Well good," Karen smiled. "Because either way, you'd be shit out of luck! My girls are eleven, six and three and they all share a room. That's why we give Juliet her own room when she comes up to visit, since she's bunking with different people eight and a half months out of the year."

Saying their goodnights, Ben and Lauren grabbed their bags and headed up the flight of stairs, quietly tip-toeing down the hallway to their room. "Are you sure you're alright sharing?" he asked, closing the door behind them. "I could always bunk with Conner or sleep on the sofa downstairs."

Dropping her bag onto the bed, Lauren turned and looked at him. "As soon as my head hits that pillow, I will be out like a light," she said, shrugging. "If I didn't feel comfortable, I would've said something to your sister. And, you don't seem to be the type that would be a creepy shit and force yourself onto a woman."

They quickly took turns, using the bathroom to change for bed and brush their teeth, the exhaustion creeping up on them quickly. "You look like you're heading out for a hike in the woods," Ben said, as she helped turn the blankets down on the bed.

"I tend to get cold in the middle of the night," she shrugged, climbing up onto the bed. "And since we're up here in the middle of mountains and it's freezing outside, I'm extra cold tonight."

As they both climbed under the blankets, Ben reached up to turn the lamp off, before lying down next to her in the bed. "I'm a light sleeper, so don't worry if you have to get up to go to the bathroom," Ben said, as Lauren rolled over to face him. "I can run on a few hours of sleep."

"It's your vacation though," Lauren pointed out. "You should be able to take the time to sleep for as long as you want."

"It' part of the job," he sighed. "Once I "retire", maybe I'll adopt the art of sleeping in."

Lauren snorted, shifting her head against the pillows. "It's a lot of fun," she said, in a sing-song voice, before breaking out into a yawn.

"Go to sleep," Ben said to her, as she pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Tomorrow's a big day."

Not one to argue over going to sleep, Lauren scooted closer to him and closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of a warm body next to her. When she woke up briefly in the middle of the night, with his arm wrapped around her waist and snoring into her ear, she felt at ease for the first time in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Lauren woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of paper rustling. Rolling over, she opened her eyes and squinted, looking at Ben. Sitting up in bed next to her, Ben skimmed the morning paper with one hand, while holding a cup of steaming hot coffee with the other.

"Coffee?" Lauren all but grunted."

"Good morning to you too," Ben said, smirking as he read.

Sitting up, Lauren took the cup from him and took a quick sip, before grimacing at the taste. "Too sweet," she said, shaking her head. "You wear glasses."

He nodded, "For reading," he said, finally looking at her. "And watching television. Now that I'm closer to fifty, my eyesight is starting to go on me."

"It's a good look," Lauren said, taking another sip of the too sweet coffee. "I wear mine for reading. Or when I have to attend meetings with parents, so that they think I look older than I actually look."

"Why are you drinking my coffee, if it's too sweet?" he asked, as he held his hand out for it. "There's coffee downstairs."

She winced, "That requires me to get up, fix my appearance and then head downstairs," she almost whined. "And I really don't want to go downstairs right this second, to get a cup of coffee, when you have yours right here."

He shook his head. "Besides, what if your son is down there?" she continued. "I don't want to look like a slob the first time he meets me."

"You don't look like a slob," Ben pointed out, taking a sip from his mug. "You look refreshed. Radiant."

"Aren't you _ridiculously_ charming, first thing in the morning," Lauren teased, as he set the cup onto the night stand. "Trying to butter me up for something, aren't you? Who am I impressing today?"

Ben shook his head, moving closer to her. "No one," he said, as she leaned back against the headboard. "My sister already likes you and I know my nieces will like you as well. Her husband? He's going to grill you, because that's just how he is."

Lauren swallowed heavily, "And Connor?" she asked, as his hand went to her hip.

"He'll probably grunt his hello's and have the phone glued to his hand," he said, nuzzling her ear. "Get some food into him and talk to him about some.. horror story show he likes and you'll be fine."

"Still, I'm a new woman in his father's life," she said, as Ben placed a few kisses against her neck. "We've also been doing this dating thing for a little less than a month. And we;re going to be dumping all this on him today."

Ben lifted his head up to look at her, "It'll be fine," he insisted. "If Connor comes off as hostile or disagreeable, he'll come around. He's a teenager, Lauren. Teen's like to be moody and act like their parent's are "ruining their life," when we decide to do something for ourselves."

She sighed, "I just want him to tolerate me," she admitted. "He doesn't have to like me off the bat, but I want him to tolerate me enough, that he would be cool with me dating his dad."

"I'm still going to date you, regardless," Ben pointed out. "I can't let my sixteen year old, dictate who I date and how I live the rest of my life."

"Careful there," Lauren warned, as she reached up to push his glasses up on his nose. "I don't want to be in the middle of a family war."

He chuckled, "You won't be," he whispered, before silencing her with a kiss. Gripping the front of his shirt, Lauren inched her way down on the mattress, with Ben following her, as he moved half of his body onto hers. With one arm going under her head, Ben slid his hand under the back of her shirt, his palm resting against her bare back.

"You two better be awake in there!" a knock on the door startled them. "Breakfast is ready and the kids are waiting on you two!"

"Shit," Ben whispered, as Lauren tried to keep the giggling at bay. "We'll be down in a minute, Karen!"

Lauren snickered, "Are you sure we're ready to head down?" she teased, as Ben groaned, dropping his head down against her shoulder. "Could've been worse, you know?"

"How?" he asked, his face still pressed against her shoulder.

"We could've been having sex and Karen could've just walked on in," she said, which made him look up. "I don't know about you, but I really don't want my first visit to be remembered as the trip when I was caught having sex. Save that for the next holiday."

Ben laughed, giving her another kiss. "We'll have to sneak away or wake up extra early then," he said, rolling off of her. "Come on. Before she sends Zoe up here, who likes to dive into bed and use her knees for target practice."

...

Breakfast was an unusual affair, with endless plates of food and chatter around the table; something Lauren last saw nearly fifteen years previously, before she went off to NYU and her entire world changed.

"UNCLE BEN!" two girls shouted, as he and Lauren stepped into the dining room five minutes after Karen announced that breakfast was ready. "You did come! Daddy said you weren't, cuz you hadta be the boss man of America."

"Of course I came for Thanksgiving, Hannah Banana!" he said, tweaking the six year old's nose. "Besides, I want to hear all about your school play! Mommy said you were the turkey this year."

She nodded furiously, "I gots killeded for the dinner!" she squealed, which earned a startled laugh from Lauren; as it did with Ben, who tried to cover it with a cough. "Mommy wasn't happy, but Daddy says it was the bestest death scene ever!"

"We've got ourselves an Oscar winner," Robert said from behind the newspaper.

"I'm sure it was the best," Ben nodded, ruffling her hair. "Where's Claire and Zoe?"

Hannah shrugged, "Claire's being a weenie head and Zoe wet her bed again," she sighed, before catching Lauren's eyes. "Who's that?" she whispered, pointing to Lauren.

Standing up, Ben turned and held his hand out, which Lauren took. "Hannah, this is Lauren," he started, as Lauren smiled at her. "Lauren, this is Hannah."

"You're real pretty," Hannah said, blushing as she dug her sock-clad toe into the tiled floor. "Are you Uncle Ben's girlfriend?"

"Um," Lauren looked to Ben, surprised at how quick to the point the child was. "You wanna tell her, Ben?"

He snorted, "Lauren is my girlfriend," he nodded, which made Hannah giggle. "She's going to spend Thanksgiving with us this year. Is that okay, Hannah?"

She nodded, "She can help us cook later!" she determined. "Mommy's making _lots_ of food today, cuz she don't wanna cook every night."

"Because who can't say no to leftovers?" Karen asked, as she walked into the dining room; two girls behind her. "Girls, go say hello to Uncle Ben and his guest. Connor should be down in a little bit, Ben. He was on the phone when I went upstairs to get him."

He nodded, as two girls rushed to him. "Zoey girl!" he chuckled, scooping the three year old up, before turning to look at the eldest of the girls. "Claire Bear!"

Introducing her to his nieces, Lauren felt herself at ease, as she sat down at the table, with Claire on one side and Ben on the other. "So, I made a little of everything," Karen said, as she got Zoe into her booster seat. "Ben's a big breakfast eater, so I made sure to have all his favorites."

"I usually have my breakfast on the drive to work," Lauren said, as she draped the napkin onto her lap. "Even then, it's only a granola bar."

As everyone dished out the food, there were conversations going on, all over the table. The girls were in their own world, arguing over what movie they were going to watch that night, while Karen bickered with her husband over who would get more firewood out back and dinner.

"I can't do everything, Robert," Karen said, rolling her eyes. "You want a big dinner and I went out to get everything for it! Just get the damn firewood from the shed and don't make my life more difficult than it already is."

"Are you gonna help my mommy cook?" Hannah asked, looking at Lauren from across the table.

Lauren set her cup of coffee down, "I'd love to help," she said, as the girl beamed at her. "Are you going to help, too?"

"Mommy says I make too much of a mess."

Ben chuckled, "That you do," he said, pouring himself some more coffee. "How about you help me set the table? I can't fold all of those napkins by myself."

At that moment, Connor finally made his appearance, stumbling into the dining room. Right away, Lauren could tell that this was Ben's son; he was almost as tall as him and they shared similar facial features. However, where Ben was blonde haired and blue eyes, Connor was dark haired with dark eyes. Along with his fair skin, Connor favored his mother's looks more so than his father's.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Ben said, as Connor flopped down into a chair at the other end of the table.

"Please, no morning jokes," Connor grumbled, grabbing the bowl of scrambled eyes. "I'm really not in the mood, Dad."

Claire rolled her eyes, as any eleven year old girl would do, before giggling when Lauren caught her doing so. The giggle sent Connor's moody glare towards them, settling moreso on Lauren than on his cousin.

"Who's she?" he asked, nodding his head towards Lauren. "I thought we weren't allowed to bring friends with us! Aunt Karen told me that Juliet wasn't bringing her friends this year!"

"This isn't Juliet's friend," Ben started, glancing over at Lauren, who looked down at her plate; the fork and knife fiddling in her hand, as the tension filled the room.

Everyone looked at the new couple and at Connor, who looked at his Dad and Lauren with a frown on his face. "This is Lauren," Ben continued, placing his hand on her knee; he gave it a firm squeeze of comfort. "She's my girlfriend."

...

"Just give him some time," Karen said, as Lauren stood at the sink washing dishes. "He's in his first relationship and it's not turning out how he thought it would."

After introducing her as his girlfriend, Ben watched as his son stomped outside, grumbling and cursing under his breath. After that, breakfast was a silent affair; the clinking of plates and scraping of forks across them, the only noise in the room. Afterwards, Ben grabbed his coat and Connor's before disappearing outside to find his son.

"I know," Lauren nodded, though she really didn't. At sixteen, what was there to expect from relationships with the opposite sex? It wasn't like Connor was taking his girlfriend out on fancy dates off campus or buying her fancy things. They were both sixteen and in school everyday.

"Also, Connor took it really hard when Margaret died," Karen continued, wiping the stovetop down. "I think the idea that his father has a girlfriend, scares the shit out of him. They never talked about the idea of Ben dating again or maybe one day having a step-mother to answer to."

Lauren wiped her hands on a dishtowel, "Ben and I have only been dating for a month," she reminded her. "It's way to early to even say "I love you," to one another, let alone think about marriage."

The older woman nodded, "I know, I know," she sighed. "This is all just babbling for me... I just want Ben and Connor to be happy, you know? But I want Ben to be happy, because he's been through a lot. Between losing Margaret and these crazy nut jobs wanting to kill him, not once but twice!"

"You don't have to give me the whole.. "If you hurt my brother, I'll kill you," speech," Lauren started. "I like him a lot. I have no intention on hurting him, and I hope he feels the same way about me. He's also my first relationship in a long time, so if it does get serious, I want to make sure it's done in due time."

Karen giggled, "Oh honey, it's already serious," she said, picking up the stack of place mats from the counter. "Ben doesn't just invite people to Thanksgiving dinner. Let alone, someone he's been dating for a month."

Watching as Karen walked out of the kitchen, Lauren turned and looked back outside, expecting to see a blood bath. Instead, she found Connor and Ben sitting on one of the benches, looking out towards the woods that surrounded the back of the house. Taking in what Karen had said, along with how Connor reacted at breakfast, Lauren had a feeling her weekend wasn't going to be as peaceful as she'd hoped.

...

Lauren was in the middle of doing her hair, after a hot shower, when Ben returned. Not saying too much, Lauren watched as he disappeared into the bathroom to shower, before going back to getting ready. Slipping into a brown skirt and a forest green sweater, Lauren sat down on the bed to pull on a pair of stockings. Coming out of the bathroom, dressed down for dinner, Ben tossed the towel back into the bathroom and came over to her.

"How'd it go?" Lauren asked, as he sat down next to her. "You look good for someone who had "the talk" with their teenaged son."

"I don't know what he's more upset about," Ben admitted, rubbing at his jaw. "Me dating or being a sixteen year old kid, who's girlfriend expects too much from him."

She sighed, "I think it's a little bit of both," she said, patting his knee. "But I think hearing that his dad has a girlfriend, for the first time, set him off."

Ben sighed, "Maybe after this weekend, he'll react differently," she continued. "If we're still together by Christmas or New Year's, he'll be home for the holidays and hopefully with his girlfriend."

"And why _wouldn't_ we be together by Christmas or New Year's?" Ben asked; the idea alone, being outrageous in his mind.

"Ben," Lauren sighed, shaking her head. "Just..compute everything else I said in that statement. Please?"

He nodded, "I am," he insisted. "Okay, we can talk about our holiday plans at a later date."

"Thank you," Lauren said, nodding, as he finally took in her appearance. "Let's just get through this holiday, before we start thinking about the next two."

"You look very nice, by the way," Ben said. "Do clothes always look this good when you wear them?"

Lauren snorted, startled by his comment. "I guess so?" she shrugged. "I don't know? I never really dress up on holidays, to be honest. Growing up, we spent Thanksgiving in our pajamas and on Christmas we wore whatever was comfortable."

"Thanksgiving is always more of a dress down holiday for us," Ben agreed. "But Christmas? Too many parties leading up to and utter exhaustion the day of. Plus, there's no "homey" feeling, with Christmas in the White House. Everything is organized and the same thing every year."

"You sound like you're just about done being the president," Lauren said. "Which, I get."

He shrugged, "I'll just be happy once I hand the keys over to the next poor soul," he said, laying back across the mattress. "So, did Karen rope you into helping her cook?"

Laying back next to him, Lauren rested one arm under her head. "Nope," she said, shaking her head. "A lot of the food just needs to cook in the oven or on the stove, which will take a while. She said that if she needed extra hands, she would come and find me."

"Hopefully she won't," Ben said, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Karen's cooked plenty of family dinners over the years. She can handle this one all on her own."

"Ben!" Lauren gasped, nudging him with her elbow. "That's so mean."

He chuckled, leaning up on his elbow to look down at her. "I get to have you to myself for an entire weekend," he reminded her. "No sneaking around between houses, with a large army of secret agents and black suv's keeping watch on the block outside your house."

Lauren knew it had been hard, finding both the time and appropriate places to meet up, in the last month. To smuggle her into the White House, was one thing. After a certain time, majority of the staff went home and it was late enough that Ben didn't have to work in his office on most of those evenings. To get him into her place, required one black suv camped outside her house for at least two hours, before calling the clear for Ben to arrive. Luckily, they didn't have to worry about who would be sleeping over where, and the threat of being caught doing the "walk of shame" after an innocent night of watching whatever Netflix had to offer at that moment.

But for now, secrecy was the key; being in the public eye was something she wasn't ready for, despite the fact that she was dating a very public man. Knowing how the media could turn on people, she wondered how they would react if and when they went public with their relationship. Would they be a love story like Prince William and Kate Middleton, or would the Republican party take their relationship and her, to create awful rumors? Either way, it wasn't something she was quite ready for. If they were to breakup, the last thing she needed was to see it plastered on every newspaper and tabloid magazine from Washington to Long Island.

Right here and right now, in this cozy bedroom in Montana, was all she really needed. Sure, they had more hurdles to jump over; a teenager, dodging the public eye and getting to the end of the year. But for now, it wasn't on her list of things to worry about in that moment.

"So kiss me like you haven't seen me in ages," Lauren said, a smile on her face.

And he did.

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	7. Chapter 7

Dinner went smoothly, despite the tension between father and son, as the younger children brought laughter to the table. Karen outdid herself, cooking enough food to last them the entire weekend. Afterwards, Lauren and Juliet helped put the leftovers away in the new tupperware Karen had purchased for the event.

"I bought stuff to make all kinds of meals with the turkey," Karen said, as Lauren scrubbed at the baking dishes in the sink. "And enough baking goods to keep the girls happy. We're going to be here until Tuesday, so Robert and I need all the ammunition we can get."

"I can make a decent turkey soup," Lauren said, scrubbing at the pan in the sink. "All I need is vegetable stock, carrots and celery..."

Karen nodded, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "I have carrots," she said. "We can head into town tomorrow morning to get vegetable stock and celery. Ben was cranky last night, when he saw the choices in ice cream. I forgot, in my mad rush at the market, to get butter pecan for him."

Juliet rolled her eyes, "god forbid you forget the butter pecan," she sighed. "Uncle Ben has a major sweet tooth, Lauren. You can't keep anything in your house that has enough sugar to knock a small child out. He will find it. And devour it all."

"Well, it's a good thing I like salty junk food," she laughed, as Ben came in from the den. "I prefer anything with caramel in it. Salted or non-salted."

"Caramel, huh?" Ben asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Startled, Lauren turned around and flicked soap suds at him. "Yes, caramel," she nodded, as he chuckled. "Don't sneak up on me, when I have my hands in the sink. Could've cut my finger off with a knife."

Pushing a loose strand of hair away form her face, Ben feigned a look of worry on his face. "Can't have that happening to you," he teased, leaning in to kiss her.

Juliet and Karen shared a look, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads, as Ben kissed his girlfriend in front of them. "Do you always have to be so goddamn _cheesy?"_ Karen asked, as the couple pulled apart.

"What's wrong with being cheesy?" Ben asked, as Lauren went back to washing dishes. "I thought women liked that?"

"I think it's cute," Lauren shrugged. "It's much better than being a know it all, douche bag. I can't stand those type of guys."

"My entire college campus in a nutshell," Juliet sighed. "Well, I'm going upstairs to catch up on some homework. Let me know when it's time for dessert and coffee."

Finishing up with the dishes, Lauren washed her hands throughly, before drying them off with a clean dish towel. By then, Ben had already made a new pot of coffee and had a cup ready and waiting for her.

"Robert's currently dealing with a crisis between Claire and Hannah," Ben reported, as Lauren took the mug from him. "Zoe's quietly playing with her dolls in the corner of the room."

Karen rolled her eyes, "What else is new," she grumbled. "And where's your son?"

"Upstairs," Ben sighed. "Probably on the phone with Liz."

"Ah, so much angst in this house," his sister said, shaking her head. "Well, you two go and do whatever it is you do. I'm going to put my feet up and rest for a bit."

Taking the opportunity, they quickly made their way out of the kitchen and upstairs to their room, closing the door behind them. Given that it was only six-thirty, it was still too early to take a nap, especially if they wanted to avoid staying up all night long. Instead, they settled on lounging in bed and watching television, nursing two cups of hot coffee between them. When the mugs were drained dry, Ben took them and placed them on the nightstand, as Lauren climbed under the heavy comforter. Curling up against his side, she rested her head against his chest and paid little attention to the old re-run of Law and Order that was playing on the television.

"Is it sad that I'm ready for bed?" she asked, as he rubbed her back. "The idea of getting up and going back downstairs sounds so unappealing. Even if there's a bunch of sweets waiting for us."

"Put on pajamas and crash kinda feeling?" Ben chuckled, as she nodded. "We've got all weekend to be lazy, you know."

Lauren hummed, "I know," she said. "I just don't want to isolate myself from everyone. Or keep you from hanging out with your family. There's only so many times a year you can be with your family like this, you know?"

"They'll understand," he insisted.

"If you say so," she said, burrowing deeper against him. "Hey, when we get back to D.C... did you maybe... would you like to spend one night at my place?"

Ben looked down at her, "Are you asking me to a sleep over, Miss. Fiore?" he asked, feigning surprise, chuckling as she groaned. "I'd love to."

She nodded, "I'm sure Michael will throw a fit," she huffed. "He'll make it seem like it's an inconvenience for him."

"It's easier for me to get you to my place," he said. "To get to yours, thought? And then to leave in the morning? I'd have to sneak out before the sun rises and I would hate to skip breakfast."

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating platefuls of bacon, you know," Lauren warned, looking up at him. "All that grease, clogging up your arteries."

Ben patted his stomach, "I think I'd look good with a few extra pounds on me," he said thoughtfully. "I plan on gaining at least ten pounds, once I leave office."

She giggled, "Sexy," she teased. "I look forward to seeing that."

From downstairs, they could hear the girls screeching and running about, followed by Karen shouting at them to behave. "How about I sneak downstairs and steal us something to eat?" Ben asked, wincing at the loud thud that sent his sister screeching. "After that, we can go to bed."

"You are," Lauren shook her head, reaching up to place her hands on his face. " _Perfect._ I'm going to change, so hurry!"

 _..._

The next afternoon, after a quick run to the market, Lauren and Karen returned to the house just as it began to sleet. Changing out of their clothes, they found Robert and Ben sitting in the den with the fireplace going, while the girls played upstairs in their room.

"Juliet's upstairs doing a paper and Connor hasn't woken up yet," Ben said, as he and Lauren sat on the love seat. "It's supposed to snow tonight into tomorrow."

"Oh joy," Lauren mumbled, wrapping the flannel blanket around her shoulders. "Is it going to be really bad?"

Robert shook his head, "If we were staying up by the mountains, sure," he said. "But down here? It won't be too bad."

Ben chuckled, "You said that last Thanksgiving and we ended up having a blizzard," he reminded him. "Hopefully we'll be able to get out of here before Lauren has to go back to work on Tuesday."

"Ah, just tell your boss that you were with the Leader of the Free World," Robert said, waving his hand at them. "I'm sure that'll get you some brownie points."

"Well, if my boss knew I was here in Montana with the President of the United States, that would be a different story," Lauren shrugged. "Can't just waltz in on Wednesday morning and go "Hey Roger, I was in Montana for the holiday's with my boyfriend. You know, the guy that came to visit us because you decided that you didn't want to teach the Common Core," I mean, I think he'd have a coronary on the spot."

"He's a bit twitchy, isn't he?" Ben asked, as Lauren giggled. "I thought the poor man was going to faint, while giving us the tour of the art facilities."

Lauren sighed, "Roger's just... Roger," she shrugged, unable to find any other way in describe the principle of Hearst Elementary.

"So.. no one but us knows about you two?" Karen asked, before looking at her brother. "Does Mom know?"

"I haven't told her yet," Ben shrugged, as his sister groaned. "I'll tell her at Christmas!"

His brother-in-law snorted, "He's already got plans for Christmas," he said, nudging his wife. "Are we even prepared for Christmas yet."

Karen ignored him, "Mom's going to kill you," she warned. "She already bitches about how you don't call her enough."

"She ends up finding out about everything through you," Ben said. "Just.. don't tell her anything, Karen. This is my thing to tell her, not yours."

"Just leave him alone, Karen," Robert sighed, grabbing the remote off the arm of the couch. "Then you wonder why _he_ doesn't call you every day, like Patricia does!"

Settling in for a afternoon football game, it wasn't long before both Lauren and Ben passed out on the love seat. Ben, with his head thrown back against the cushion, snored deeply; while Lauren laid curled up on his lap, her face tucked into his chest, while his arm rested across her waist.

"They'd make really cute babies," Karen said, watching the two of them. "Cute, blonde and red-haired babies."

"Well, my dear, they'd have to actually have sex in order to have babies," Robert stated, as she looked at him with a frown.

"You mean?" she asked, as he nodded. "Really?"

Robert scratched his head, "Ben said they haven't done it yet," he shrugged. "When I asked him if it bothered him, he got all snappy. "I didn't start dating again, just to have sex!" and all that shit. You're brother is a sappy romantic, Karen. Thank god you aren't like that."

His wife shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Ben's never been the one to do things casual, Robert," she reminded him. "He and Margaret dated for three years, before getting married. He hasn't dated or been with a woman since she died. That was almost four years ago."

"I know how long it's been," Robert huffed. "But they need to just do it already. The looks and touching... we have kids here for god's sake!"

"You're an ass," she snapped, standing up from the sofa. "Don't you dare harass them about it either."

Robert shook his head, "Where are you goin'?" he asked, as she started out of the room. "The game's not over yet!"

"As if I'm gonna sit here and watch a goddamn football game," Karen laughed. "I'm going to check on our children and plot the many ways I could kill you."

"So much love," Robert rolled his eyes. "Truly, honey. Twenty-three years together and you're just as crazy now as you were when I first met you."

She threw up her middle finger, walking out as he laughed. "God help me," he muttered, turning the volume up again.

...

"I miss you too. Even though I saw you last night."

Lauren sighed into the other end of the phone, "But I was half _awake,"_ she whined, as Ben sat back in his seat. "I just remember you tucking me into my bed and that's it."

He chuckled, "I figured after five days, you'd be tired of me already," he teased.

The rest of the weekend went by quickly, much to their dislike, as they spent their time exploring the land that surrounded the house. Lauren found herself bonding more with Ben's sister and his nieces, while Ben tried to get Connor involved with game night and contributing to the conversation during family dinner. But the teenager was too stubborn for his own good and Ben left him alone, once he realized it wouldn't get through to him during this visit.

"Me? Never," Lauren scoffed. "I would see you everyday if I could."

"Unfortunately, I have to deal with Russia for the next two days," Ben sighed. "But I'm yours Friday night. The entire night."

She giggled, "I'm going food shopping after work, so let me know what to get," she said. "I already know about the ice cream, which is at the top of my list."

"Is 7:30 good?" he asked, as she puttered around her house. "Or do you want me to come later?"

"7:30 is perfect,' Lauren said. "I'll be home by at least 4:30, so that gives me time to clean up and put food in the oven. It's not like you haven't been here before, Ben. You know what my house looks like."

They spoke for a while longer, before a knock sounded at the door, opening a few seconds later. Mike strolled into the Oval Office, just as Ben turned around to face him, holding up a finger, as he finished up his phone call.

"I'll call you tonight," he said, as Lauren reluctantly said her goodbye's. "And I'll get back to you on that list."

Hanging up, Ben put the phone down on the desk and looked up at Mike. "What's up?" he asked, as Mike stood before him. "Did Russia cancel?"

"Sadly for you, no," he said, catching a glimpse of the background picture on Ben's private phone. "Oh god, you're taking cutesy pictures together already?"

"Like you haven't done that with Leah?" Ben shot back, picking the Iphone up. "Or with Lynn?"

Mike shook his head, "Security detail for Friday night is set," he said, ignoring the question. "The princess agreed to have her home swept tomorrow after work, so Gomez is going to do it."

"Why not you?" Ben asked, frowning.

"Because your girlfriend requested someone else to do it," Mike huffed, scowling as Ben snickered. "I don't know how this is going to work, Ben. Girl doesn't even like me, yet I'm the one that's in charge of keeping you safe. Her too, if she becomes your wife one day."

Ben sighed, "Just.. ease up on her, will ya?" he asked. "She's great and I think if you two got to know each other, you'd like her."

"It's not my job to like her," Mike reminded him. "She could bake batches of cookies and solve world peace. Doesn't mean I have to like her."

Leaning forward on his elbows, Ben rested his chin on clasped hands. "Well, she does bake batches of cookies," he said. "And I think she could solve world peace."

Mike rolled his eyes, "You're hopeless," he said, shaking his head. "Ten bucks says you fuck up Friday night and I'll have to come pick you up."

"Ten bucks says that I'll see you Saturday afternoon, going over the security detail for the Christmas fundraiser next month," Ben shot back. "And why would I fuck up? According to Lauren, I'm _perfect."_

"Yeah," Mike snorted, shaking his head with a smile. "A _perfect_ sap."

Chucking a crumpled up post-it note, Mike headed back for the door, laughing. "I'll let you know when I get the Russian's security briefing," he said, looking back over his shoulder.

Shaking his head, Ben waited until the door was closed, before looking down at his phone; the black screen looking back up at him. Pressing the home button, it lit up with a picture of both him and Lauren, sitting in front of the fireplace. She managed to take the photo, as the girls fought over a game of Monopoly, as game night went from family friendly to a near blood bath.

 _"Don't you two look cute,"_ Karen teased, as Lauren swiped through the few photos she took of them. " _Almost like a J. Crew catalog. Sickening."_

Sending the photos to him, Ben later put one up as a wallpaper for his home screen, while Lauren showered. He knew that it was risky, putting a photo of the two of them together on his phone, god forbid it were to be stolen or misplaced. But for the first time, it was a relief to see something other than the wallpapers already on the phone. It was also strange, to see himself in a photograph with a woman who wasn't Margaret. To see himself looking so happy, for the first time in nearly four years. He could hardly recognize himself in the picture, as Lauren smiled brightly into the camera.

" _I bet the whole world will figure us out, before we even come out,"_ Ben said to her, when she found his phone the next morning. _"According to the press, I haven't looked happy in years."_

 _"And then the whole world would praise my light and deem me as "the miracle worker," or something corny,"_ she giggled, crawling across the mattress to him. " _Can the President bestow knighthood, like the Queen of England does? Or grant a Nobel Peace Prize? Because that alone, would deserve some kind of recognition."_

Placing the phone into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, Ben stood up and walked around the desk, heading for the door. A trip down to the kitchen sounded like a good idea at the moment, for the need for coffee was defiantly needed. There was a lot to think about, especially since their relationship showed no signs of slowing down, now that they were back in D.C. With Connor still upset, Ben knew they both had a lot of work cut out for them; if and when they were to go public, the support of their family and friends would be needed desperately.


End file.
